Tragic road death case settles
12 July 2005
The mother of a road crash victim has received compensation for the violent death of her son. Thomas McNamara was 16 at the time of his death. He was involved in a road crash on 1 August 2003 in Morden, South London. He was killed when he was struck by a car at speeds estimated at up to 60mph, in a 40mph zone.
The car was driven by an Australian resident. As a result of the police investigation, he was convicted of reckless driving, fined £2,500 and banned for 12 months. He returned to Australia after the incident.
Thomas’ mother, Sharon McNamara, was devastated by the accident. Even now, 2 years later, she finds it difficult to come to terms with what has happened. She started a legal claim for the bereavement (bereavement award), and for the shock and grief she suffered as a result of the violent death of her son. The claim has now been settled, before court proceedings needed to be issued. The settlement of the legal action is an important step for Sharon in putting her life back together.
She says: “Thomas was a lovely lad, very outgoing and happy. He was loved by family and friends alike and to lose him in this way has been devastating. I heard about the crash very shortly after it took place because some of Thomas’ friends were with him when it happened. I saw Thomas at the hospital, but I did not have a chance to say goodbye before we lost him.
“The suddenness of his death and the violence of the way that he died are things that I do not think that I will ever be able to accept. I got great assistance from RoadPeace and from the nurse and health visitor at my local surgery, but really it is something that I will have to deal with for the rest of my life.
“The importance of the litigation is not the money – I would give every penny to have Thomas back. All I can hope is that campaigning continues to make sure that the issue of road safety is never forgotten. I would not want anyone else to go through the pain that I have had to go through.”
Leigh Day are proud to support the aims and work of RoadPeace, the charity for victims of road crashes.
Mrs McNamara was represented by the personal injury department at Leigh Day & Co.
For more information, or if you think you may have a claim, please call 020 7650 1200.
http://www.leighday.co.uk/news/news-archive/tragic-road-death-case-settles/?searchterm=roadpeace